Over-the-counter sales of Levonelle, the emergency hormonal contraceptive product that is to take advantage of the deregulation of levonorgestrel 0.75mg tablets to pharmacy medicine status, are to be controlled by little more than professional ethics. Apart from a restriction to 0.75mg tablets for use as an emergency contraceptive in women aged 16 years and over, the Prescription Only Medicines (Human Use) Amendment (No 3) Order 2000, which comes into force on January 1, 2001, places no constraints on the number of tablets or packs that may be sold or the pack size in which the product may be marketed.
The Department of Health wishes to remind pharmacists that counter sales of prescription packs of Levonelle-2 should not be made.